My personal teaching philosophy is aligned with Sociocultural theory and active learning approaches such as the Reggio Emilia approach. I believe that children are agentic and capable of constructing their own knowledge and that my role as a teacher is to facilitate learning through provoking curiosity and providing an environment that is rich in opportunities for exploration and inquiry.
I believe that students learn best when they are actively engaged and interested in a topic, and that the learning needs to be relevant and meaningful to each child and context. I also believe that children learn from and with each other, sharing experiences and prior knowledge, and encouraging each other to test new theories. To support this and ensure a productive learning environment, I use a variety of contemporary pedagogical approaches including Age-Appropriate Pedagogies (QLD DET, 2016), collaborative small groups, inquiry learning, and play-based learning combined with direct instruction when necessary.
Whilst studying my Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) with the University of Southern Queensland I have gained valuable teaching experience in the early years with two years of Kindergarten teaching experience and six professional experience placements including three placements in early childhood settings, two in prep and one in grade one. I also have six years of experience as a teacher aide working in all grades from Prep to year 12. These experiences have allowed me to gain an understanding of various curriculum frameworks including the EYLF, QKLG, and ACARA whilst beginning to perfect my teaching practice and building relationships with children and families.
